Automatic latch for doors.



E. HEINEMANN.

AUTOMATIC LATCH FOR DOORS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 4.1918.

Patented m. 22,1919.

Qwvawtoz ERNEST HEINEMANN, OF ALMA, WISCONSIN.

AUTOMATIC LA'rcn non noons.

1,3o1,2eo.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 22, 1919.

Application filed September 4, 1918. Serial No. 252,574.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST HEINEMANN,

for Doors, of which the following is a specification, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to latches or looks, and particularly to latchesdesigned for use on barn doors and doors for like purposes.

The general object of the invention is to pr vide a latch of thischaracter which cannot be accidentally retracted or released by animalsrunning against the latch or otherwise actuating the latch.

A further object is to provide a latch of this character wherein thelocking. bolt is normally held from retraction but is releasable topermit the locking bolt to be retracted by pulling upward on the handleof the locking bolt.

A further object is to provide a latch of this character which is verysimple in construction, has relatively few parts, and which is veryeffective in operation.

Other ob ects will appear 1n the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure1 is a front elevation of a portion of a door and its casing, with mylock applied thereto, the casing being partly broken away and the handlebeing in section;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the lock casing looking from the-inside, aportion of the casing being in section and the spindle being in section;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary top plan view of a ortion of the casing and theplate 17;

ig. 5 is an edge v1ew of one of the handles; and

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the keeper.

Referring to these drawings, it will be seen that this latch comprises ahousing 10, which is approximately semicircular in cross section and isdisposed with its open side against the face of the door and is providedwith the cars 11 whereby it may be attached by screws to the door. Eachend of this housing is formed with a longitudinally extending slot 12for the bolt, but at one end as at 15 and is the plate 13 formed with acircular perforation 13 for the bolt.

Disposed within the housing and extending longitudinally thereof andhavin a length greater than the housing is the olt 14 designedto-reciprocate within the housing and also to have a slight oscillatingmotion. The bottom of the housing is cut-away rovides a longitudinallyextending slot. iveted or otherwise attached to the housing at the slot15 is a plate 17, the upper margin of which is inwardly turned andengaged over the-bottom of the housing and this upper margin is cut awayas at 18 to form two notches or recesses as shown in Fig. 4.

Passing through'the lower end of this plate 17 is the knob spindle 19which is square in cross section and carries on its extremities thehandles 20 and 20*. It will be, of course, obvious that the plate 17 hasan opening through it sufficiently large to receive the knob spindle andto permit its rotation. Disposed upon the exterior of the plate 17 is aplate 21, which has a square opening through it for the passage of theknob spindle, this plate beingformed to provide an arm 22 which extendsupward through the slot 15 and is bent over at its upper end to embracethe bolt 14, as at 23. This portion of the arm is provided with theoppositely disposed slots 24 and a pin 25 extending through the boltoperates within these slots. A spring 26 is' connected at one end to thehousing 10 and at its opposite end to this arm and acts to hold the-boltprojected.

Bearing against the plate 17 is a coiled compression spring 27 whichbears against a pin 28 on the knob spindle and thus urges the plate 22which constitutes an arm, against the plate 17 and therefore urges thearm 22 into the recesses or notches 16.

Preferably the handle 20, as illustrated in Fig. 1, is fastened by apair of screws 29 to the plate 21 and the abutting ends of the handle,which is formed of a strip of metal bent into an elliptical form. arenotched as at 30 to interlock with each other. Theopposite handle 20 isformed of a strip of metal bent into elliptical form with its endslooped and held to the knob spindle by means of a screw 31 which extendsinto the spindle. A wear plate 32 is attached to the door, the knobspindle passing through this leading up wear plate and the handlebearing against this wear plate.

.The keeper for'the bolt preferably consists of a single strip ofmaterial bent to form oppositely projecting cars 33, a bolt receivingseat 34, and an inclined face to the upper edge of said seat. I,.ofcourse, do not wish to be limited to this particular form of keeper,however.

' In the operation of this look, it Wlll be obvious that if the, door beopened and the bolt projected, the arm 22 wlll be disposed 'in one ofthe recesses 18 and the bolt is held from any longitudinal movementwhich would tend to retract it but because of the slot 12, the bolt mayrise and ride up over the inclined face 35 and thus drop into the boltseat 34:. The door is then locked against any accidental openingmovement, because the arm 21 is resiliently held in the correspondingnotch 18 and the handles cannot be turned nor the bolt otherwise shiftedback unless the knob spindle be either pushed or pulled depending uponwhich side of the door the person opening the door is at the time thedoor'is actuated. When the knob spindle is shifted longitudinallyagainst the force of the spring 28, the arm 21 is carried out of therecess 18 and into the slot 15, whereupon the knob spindle may be turnedto retract the bolt and the door may be opened. It will be understoodthat if the operator is on one side of the door, the handle is pulledand if on the other side of the door, the handle is pushed. In otherwords, the knob spindle is always forced in a direction against theaction of the spring 28 in order to open the door. If it be desired tohold the bolt retracted, the arm 21 is en-. gaged with the notch 18farthest from the edge of the door, but if this is not done,

then the spring 26 will always urge the bolt to a position where the arm21 will engage with the notch 18 nearestthe edge of the door and withthe bolt projected.

It will be seen that this device is very simple, may be cheaply made andthat it is very effective. It is obvious also that many changes may bemade in the details of the invention, without departing from the spirit4 thereof, as defined in the appended claims.

It will'be noted from Fig. 2 that both ends of the casing are formedwith slots 12- and that a plate 13 is disposed in one end of the casingwhich is formed with a perforation 13*. It will likewise be seen thatthe casing is provided with hooks 32 for the en.gage-' ment of thespring 26. This construction ermits the lock to be reversed and pro-.ected either from the righthand end of the casing or the lefthand end ofthecasing, as desired by merely shifting the spring 26 and shifting theplate 13.

I claim 1. A latch of the character described comsaid bolt to a projectetending from the knob spindleandengaging the bolt, and a spring urgingthe bolt to its projected position, the housing being rovided with anotch with whiclrsaid arm is adapted to engage when the bolt isprojected, the knob spindle being longitudinally movable and'beingyieldingly urged in a d1- rection to hold the arm in engagement with thenotch.

2. A latch of the character described including a housing having a slotformed with a notch, a bolt mounted for longitudinal movement inthe-housin a spring urgingposition, a knob spindle mounted on the housifor longitudinal movement and for oscillation and having anarm extendinginto the housing through said slot and connected to the bolt, and aspring urging the knob spindle in one direction to thereby urge the knobinto the notch when the bolt is projected."

3. A latch of the character described comprising a housing having alongitudinally extending slot in its bottom formed with spaced notches,a'bolt mounted in the housing, a sprmg urging. the bolt to a projectedposition, a rotatable knob spindle having an arm operatively engagingthe bolt and passing through said slot, and a spring urging the spindlein a direction to carry the arm into engagement withone'or the other ofthe notches.

4. A latch ofthe character described comprising a bolt housing formedwith a longitudinally extending slot in its bottom, a plate attached tothe housing and extending downward therefrom, the upper margin of theplate being angularly bent-and having a notch coincident with said slot,a spring urg ing the bolt to a projecting position, a knob splndlepassing through the plate and carrymg an arm extending upward throughthey the notch and permit the oscillation of th knob spindle and arm. 5.A latch of thecharacter described comprising a bolt housing formed witha downwardly extending plate, the bottom of the housing plate beingformed to provide a longitudinally extending slot having a notch in itslength, a boltmounted in the housing and extending therethrough, a knobspindle passing 'thro arm carried b the knob spindle and extendingthrough t e slot and pivotally connected to the bolt, and a springsurrounding the and the adjacent portion of the ugh the plate andmounted for rotation and ongitudinal movement therein, any

knob spindle and bearing at one end against a pin on the knob spindleand at the other end against said plate and urging said spindle in adirection to carry the arm into engagement with the notch.

6. A latch of the character described including a housing formed at oneend Wit-h a bolt perforation and at the other end with a vertical slot,a bolt passing through the perforation and slot, a spring urging saidbolt to a projected position, the bottom of the housing being providedwith a longitudinally extending slot formed with a laterally extendingnotch, a knob spindle operatively mounted upon the housing foroscillation and longitudinal movement and carrying an arm, the arm beingslotted at its upper end, a pin passing through the bolt and throughsaid slot, a spring urging the bolt to a projected position, and aspring surrounding the 'knob spindle and urging it in a direction tocarry the arm into the notch, and a keeper with which the bolt coactshaving an upwardly opening bolt seat and an inclined face extendingupward through the .upper end of the seat.

7 A latch of the character described including a housing, a bolt mountedin the housing for longitudinal movement and for oscillating movement,the housing at its 0p posite ends being formed with slots permitting theoscillation of the bolt, a keeper with which the bolt coacts having anupwardly opening bolt seat, and a downwardly inclined portion extendingfrom the upper edge of the bolt seat, a spring yieldingly urging thebolt to a projected position and connected at one end to the housing,said spring being shiftable from one end of the housing to the other tothereby urge the bolt in one direction or the other, a plate adapted tobe disposed in one end of the housing or the other having theperforations registering with the corresponding slot and throughwhichthe bolt passes, and manually operable means for retracting thebolt longitudinally against the action of the spring. A In testimonywhereof I hereunto afix my. signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ERNEST HEINEMANN.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR SCHILLING', 'C. J. THLES.

